This invention relates to methods and means for monitoring various operational aspects within a vehicle, and particularly for methods and means for determining if aspects of a railroad car is functioning incorrectly.
Various events affect the operation of vehicles, such as trucks and railroad cars, and the safety of their cargoes. For example, vehicles and their respective cargoes, are subject to substantial shocks from sources such as rear and front impacts, damaged suspensions or wheels, and, in the case of rail road cars, out of round wheels, unbalanced wheels, and xe2x80x9ctruck huntingxe2x80x9d (the term used when a rail car""s wheels vibrate back and forth between the rails rather than traveling down it smoothly huntingxe2x80x9d of xe2x80x9ctrucksxe2x80x9d which carry a railroad car""s wheels. In railroad cars, efforts are made to limit damage from impacts shocks by means of cushioning units mounted between cars. As long as these operate properly they help protect the railroad car and its cargo from the impacts that occur when cars are coupled together or from xe2x80x9cin- trainxe2x80x9d forces that occur when the train is being pulled along the tracks.
In order to keep vehicles operating properly, it is desirable to obtain information, either in the vehicle, or at a remote locating or both, concerning events that affect the vehicle operation.
According to an embodiment of the invention, events in a vehicle are monitored by producing electrical outputs representative of events in the vehicle, comparing characteristics of one event with characteristics of other events accumulated over a given period of time and determining departures of a given extent from the other characteristics as an indication of a significant event, and sending a warning in response to the indication.
According to another embodiment, a position signal shows the position of the vehicle with a global position (GPS) receiver, and the warning is sent with both the indication with the position signal.
The various features of novelty that characterize the invention are pointed out in the claims. Objects and advantages of the invention will become evident from the following detailed description when read in light of the accompanying drawings.